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Released February 18, 2015 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - The process of shutting down Belgium's oldest nuclear reactor got underway last week when Doel 1 was permanently disconnected from the electricity grid.
Owner and operator, Electrabel SA (Brussels), a subsidiary of GDF Suez SA (EPA:GSZ) (Paris), said that the 121 fuel assemblies will be transferred from the reactor to the storage pools "under the permanent control of the operational teams". Doel 1 is a pressurised water reactor with a generating capacity of 433-megawatts (MW).
"This is an important step in the life cycle of a nuclear power plant which has three key periods: the construction phase, the operational phase and finally the decommissioning," the company stated. "Doel 1 is the first Belgian nuclear plant to complete 40 years of operation. Commissioned on February 15th 1975, the reactor together with 6 other units enabled economic and industrial development for Belgium. During the operational period, Doel 1 generated 127,000-gigawatt hours (GWh), corresponding to an annual consumption of 36 million households. Over the 40 years, the unit has had an average availability of 89%."
Electrabel operates seven nuclear reactors in Belgium - four at the Doel nuclear power station and three at the Tihange nuclear site.
The closure comes despite the new coalition government announcing in December that Doel units 1 and 2 could operate for an additional 10 years. However, the regulator has not approved the extension and Electrabel remains uncertain about the high level of investment needed to continue operating both units.
Electrabel explained: "In parallel and in accordance with the decision of the Federal Government of December 18th 2014, the Minister of Energy and Electrabel Group and parent company GDF SUEZ are continuing discussions on the lifetime extension of Doel 1 & 2. Electrabel is participating constructively in these discussions while highlighting the need [for the government] to define a clear legal and economic framework before we consider investing the 600-700 million that will be needed to fund the extensions".
Belgium's nuclear plants have been plagued by problems in recent years, most recently by an act of sabotage that forced the automatic closure of Doel 4 last August. For additional information, see August 14, 2014, article - Sabotage Shuts Belgian Nuclear Plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
Owner and operator, Electrabel SA (Brussels), a subsidiary of GDF Suez SA (EPA:GSZ) (Paris), said that the 121 fuel assemblies will be transferred from the reactor to the storage pools "under the permanent control of the operational teams". Doel 1 is a pressurised water reactor with a generating capacity of 433-megawatts (MW).
"This is an important step in the life cycle of a nuclear power plant which has three key periods: the construction phase, the operational phase and finally the decommissioning," the company stated. "Doel 1 is the first Belgian nuclear plant to complete 40 years of operation. Commissioned on February 15th 1975, the reactor together with 6 other units enabled economic and industrial development for Belgium. During the operational period, Doel 1 generated 127,000-gigawatt hours (GWh), corresponding to an annual consumption of 36 million households. Over the 40 years, the unit has had an average availability of 89%."
Electrabel operates seven nuclear reactors in Belgium - four at the Doel nuclear power station and three at the Tihange nuclear site.
The closure comes despite the new coalition government announcing in December that Doel units 1 and 2 could operate for an additional 10 years. However, the regulator has not approved the extension and Electrabel remains uncertain about the high level of investment needed to continue operating both units.
Electrabel explained: "In parallel and in accordance with the decision of the Federal Government of December 18th 2014, the Minister of Energy and Electrabel Group and parent company GDF SUEZ are continuing discussions on the lifetime extension of Doel 1 & 2. Electrabel is participating constructively in these discussions while highlighting the need [for the government] to define a clear legal and economic framework before we consider investing the 600-700 million that will be needed to fund the extensions".
Belgium's nuclear plants have been plagued by problems in recent years, most recently by an act of sabotage that forced the automatic closure of Doel 4 last August. For additional information, see August 14, 2014, article - Sabotage Shuts Belgian Nuclear Plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
